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Teenager killed in clash with Guinea police

Updated at: 11/18/2013 8:35 AM
By BOUBACAR DIALLO

(AP) CONAKRY, Guinea - A teenager was killed and five other civilians were injured during clashes with Guinea’s police after a pro-opposition journalist claimed he risked being kidnapped by the security forces, a government spokesman said Monday.

The incident began Sunday evening after Mandian Sidibe, a journalist with the radio station Planet FM, told listeners to rush to the station because it was being raided by security forces, spokesman Albert Damantang Camara said in a statement.

When the crowd began erecting roadblocks in protest, security forces tried to disperse them with tear gas, it said. Witnesses said security forces then used live ammunition, killing 15-year-old Abdoul Aziz Balde and injuring the others.

An Associated Press reporter saw two men injured with gunshot wounds at a hospital in the Conakry section of Demoudoula, where the radio station is located.

Camara’s statement did not specify how Balde died. It said four security officers were also injured.

The statement said Sidibe’s claim about an alleged kidnapping was "totally unfounded and irresponsible."

"The government deplores these unfortunate events and presents its most sincere condolences to the family of the victim and to others who suffered physical abuse and property damage," it said.

In a separate radio appearance Monday morning, Camara said an investigation had been opened to examine both how Balde died and why Sidibe had called listeners to the scene.

Sidibe told a radio program Monday morning that he believed an operation to detain him was underway.

Guinea’s Supreme Court on Friday confirmed the ruling party of President Alpha Conde won a divisive legislative election, sparking protests on Saturday that were dispersed by riot police.

The Sept. 28 poll was the first time in more than a decade that Guineans voted in a legislative election. Disputes over the election’s organization led to deadly demonstrations beforehand, though the vote itself did not spark widespread violence as feared.